Rise of Weirdness - Part 45

November 17th, 2019:

A strange ship appears in a burst of cherenkov radiation in Earth orbit. The various Homeworld Nations go into a higher state of alert until they realise that the newcomer isn't hostile. The ship is from the colony at Alpha Centauri. Since the colony's establishment, they have been working on a method of Faster Than Light drive.
They had finally succeeded. Of course, magic is involved. In much the same way as magic had been used since '72 for manipulating gravity, magic is used for the distortion of space-time required for Faster Than Light travel. Of course, machinery, incantations and Transformed magic users are required. The more powerful those are, the better. (Of course, the microstorms have to be larger too, more like a 'millistorm'.) The ambassador from Centauri to the United Nations is aboard...

It was quiet on the Klytia II's bridge as they approached the Homeworld. Captain Sigrun Olafdoittir was nervous. The contact was likely to go wrong. She knew that the nervousness was growing into anxiety. Still, she had spent the past three days going over various contact scenarios, so she was sure the crew were as prepared as they could be. She looked at the screen on her 'armrest' console. They had entered the Field of Arbol and would arrive in less than two minutes.

Navigator Rani Kaur was ready as the Klytia II made it's final approach. 'Twenty Seconds,' she thought as she input the commands to make a turn such that the ship made a curve into the ecliptic. 'Fifteen seconds,' she input the command to slow to sublight, and enter a geosynchronous orbit.

“Report,” Captain Sigrun ordered once she saw Earth to one side through the viewport screen.

“A geosynchronous orbit has been achieved,” Kaur reported.

“No direct signals yet, neither by radio nor by Spellspace,” the communications officer, Sarina Singh, reported.

White House, Columbia

President Wells was alone in the Oval Office when the hotline phone began to ring. He picked it up. “Mr. President, some kind of ship has appeared in orbit...” came the report of the commanding officer at NORAD.

That was one of the last things he wanted to hear, that the Offworlders had gotten a cloaking spell to work on a large object. “Any more detail?” he asked.

“None,” the General reported, “other than it appeared in a manner that is not indicative of any known cloaking spell.”

“Is it targeted yet?” the President asked.

“Most batteries are still moving into position, but should you order it gone. It will be.”

Klytia II

“The United States has acquired weapons lock, but still hasn't tried to contact us,” the tactical officer, Olaf Signurdsson, reported.

“Noted,” Captain Sigrun reported.

“We're now receiving a message via Spellspace, from Aphrodite.”

“Understood.”

“This is Aphrodite Council to unknown Ship state your intentions towards this world.”

“A little full of themselves, aren't they?” Kaur asked.

“A little,” Captain Sigrun said. “I shall reply.”

“Aye, Captain,” Singh said. “Channel open.”

“This is Captain Sigrun Olafdottir of the Klytia II, representing the Union of Centauri.”

“Centauri, there is no such state,” the Aphrodite representative stated.

The original colonists who left 73 Klytia had brought with them to Alpha Centauri the knowledge of the stellarpolitical situation in the Field of Arbol at the time of departure. As such, Captain Sigrun knew that Aphrodite had one of the best Intelligence Services. “That's because it exists at Alpha Centauri,” she responded.

“Alpha Centauri?”

“Yes.”

“Wait a few moments.”

“Any other signals?” Captain Sigrun asked Singh.

“None, as of yet,” Singh answered.

“The Soviet Union has also acquired weapons lock,” Kaur reported.

“Confirmed,” the Aphrodite representative reported.

November 18th, 2019:

Having met with paranoia from the Homeworld leaders, the Centauri ship sends a module back to Centauri. (A backup drive in case something went wrong with the primary. They still haven't worked out faster than light communication.)

November 18th - 26th, 2019:

There is deadlock in the UN regarding the Centauri ship, which remains in orbit.

November 22nd, 2019:

The backup module from the Klytia II arrives back at the Centauri colony. The leaders are shocked at the description of the events that are occuring in the Sol System. They give the order to share the information on the FTL drive.

November 26th, 2019:

The backup module returns to Earth (The FTL drive at this point in time has a maximum sustainable velocity of 360 c). Soon after redocking occurs, the crew release the all the information regarding the FTL drive onto the internet and into Spellspace...

November 26th - 28th, 2019:

Attempts to suppress the information on the FTL drive fail. It has gone viral...

December 2nd, 2019:

Kootingal is the first spaceborn village to leave the Solar System via FTL. They certainly wouldn't be the last.

December 4^th, 2019

Netta releases another hit 'Just in Time for Hanukkah'.

December 7^th, 2019

A tenth of Cerestown's population leaves aboard several ships (where FTL drives are under construction.)

December 10th, 2019:

United States forces attempt a forcible boarding of the Centauri ship. The US ships are damaged by the ship entering FTL in close proximity... The damage done, they head home...

December 11th - 20st:

More Transformed communities leave the Solar System. Mostly to get away from the prejudice of the Home System (not that that would succeed), but also to explore what's out there.

December 14th, 2019:

Kootingal arrives at Epsilon Eridani. They find the system uninhabited.

December 15^th, 2019

The Langaris is the first ship to arrive at Bernards Star. This system is also uninhabited.

23 December 2019
The settlement at Copernicus Crater, the oldest Offworld settlement, lifts off the Moon. Almost immediately they enter FTL...